Crime
Alleged N8.5bn fraud: You have case to answer, Lagos court tells NIMASA staff, ex-JTF Commander
Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Monday, April 22, 2024, told a former Commander of the Joint Military Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, Major-General Emmanuel Atewe ( rtd.), and a staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Kime Engonzu, that they have a case to answer in the alleged N8.5bn money laundering case brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Atewe and Engonzu are standing trial on a 22-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N8, 537,586,798.58, which also involves a former Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, and Josephine Otuaga, also a staff of NIMASA.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, Kime Engozu, and Josphine Otuaga, sometime in 2014, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Court, with intent to defraud, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: conversion of the sum of N8,537,586,798.58 property of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
They pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, thereby prompting the commencement of their trial.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution called several witnesses and subsequently closed its case against the defendants.
However, the defendants, rather than open their defence, filed a no-case-submission.
Akpobolokemi had, in a no-case submission, filed by his lawyer, Dr. Joseph Nwobike, SAN, prayed the court for an acquittal without having him present a defence.
Ruling on the no-case submission on Monday, Justice Faji discharged and acquitted Akpobolokemi and Otuaga, the fourth defendant.
He however, ruled that Atewe, the second defendant, and Engonzu, the third defendant, should open their defence in counts 12 to 22 of the charge.
Crime
Traditionalist attacks late members’ residence
…threaten to kill his children if they fail to fulfill rites
There was a pandemonium at the Alasoro Annex, Oluwo Nla, lbadan on the 1st May, 2024. At the early hours of the day, around 7am, a group described as the Yoruba traditionalists stormed the residence of Alasoro. Passersby described the incident as a very terrible one as it is highly unusual for traditionalists to invade a house in the city. Members of the group were dressed in all-white robes with their leader, possibly the head priest, holding a sort of sceptre which was believed to possess some kind of metaphysical powers.
Our correspondent interviewed an eyewitness, Mr. Tayo Akinsanya, who narrated that he watched the event unfold from a considerable distance out of fear.
According to Akinsanya, “The gate seemed to open by itself, which was strange. I can’t explain how the gate opened for these people to gain entrance. All l saw was that they got inside the house, leaving three men burning incense to man the gate. At this point, I could not see anything more. All I heard were various incantations of different kinds and so, I had to run as everyone fled for their lives.”
Further investigation by our reporter showed that the house was thoroughly ransacked, while the gateman sustained extensive injuries when he attempted to stop the traditionalists from gaining entry into the main house.
The question in the mind of everyone was why those traditionalists would invade the house in question? However, Mrs. Bukola Oni, the wife of the late owner of the residence, revealed that attackers were after the lives of her children because of their refusal to have their deceased father buried according to traditional rites.
The wife who broke down in tears while speaking with our reporter, said: “My life and my children’s lives have been miserable because of these people.”
“We have been running helter skelter in fear of these dreaded traditionalists. They want my children to surrender their father’s corpse for rituals. They also want my children to perform some traditional and occultic rites which they totally refused to do due to their Christian faith. We have been battling with this for a while and it is not a good experience at all, I must confess.”
Crime
Delta Princess on the run alleges threat to life
The story has emerged of a Delta princess Mrs Timi Josephine Princess who has since run for dear life following several life threatening messages and calls to her and her husband.
Mrs Timi Josephine princess, 50, a native of Ugbomoya kingdom in Delta, Delta state and the only daughter of the late king Of Ugbomoya kingdom, king Efetobo Hope, came out of her hiding place to narrate why she disappeared to seek refuge at her friends place somewhere in Abeokuta.
With over seventeen years together as a couple, Mrs Timi Josephine and hubby, Mr. Timi had relocated to Abeokuta the Ogun state capital shortly after their marriage when the husband was transferred at work to their Abeokuta office branch.
Being the apple of her father’s eyes and the only daughter, the late king had kept and entrusted all the documents of all his properties in her custody because she was believed to be the most trusted and honest of all his children. But that will be the cause and beginning of her many travails.
Trouble started for Mrs Timi Josephine sometimes around November 2023 immediately after the demise of her father. She disclosed that her father’s siblings had been after her life and that of her brothers over the property documents in her custody.
During a short interview with this reporter, while showing a copy of the affidavit deposed to by her and also a police report to that effect, Mrs Timi, revealed that his two brothers had since got missing with their whereabouts still unknown and allegedly in connection with this matter.
She disclosed that she was forced to move away from their apartment to live with a friend when they begin to notice that some people believed to be assassins have been stalking them for weeks.
According to her, her husband with whom she has enjoyed matrimony for close to two decades has just deserted her and the kids when he could no longer cope with the incessant threats and the perceived stalking.
When pressed further about the reason why she has held on to the documents in question in spite of the perceived threats, she disclosed that her father the late king had begun the process of transferring the ownership of the properties to her and her elder brothers but couldn’t finish the process before death came knocking.
She also revealed that her father warned her sternly to not relinquish the possession of the properties to any of his siblings or extended family but make sure that the properties be shared equally between herself and her elder brothers.
When contacted on phone to hear their side of the story, two of the father’s- the late king Efetobo- siblings declined comments and when contacted again as at the time of filing this report, none of them responded to the calls nor returned the calls.
Mrs Timi Josephine is however, appealing to all security agencies in the country to come to her aid and guarantee her safety and that of her husband and kids.
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